Last month, the Environmental Protection Agency allowed biofuels blending targets — primarily those of corn-based ethanol — to rise to new levels in 2013 as mandated by the Renewable Fuel Standard. While the agency could have moved to mitigate the impacts of a flawed federal policy, its actions highlight the continued endangerment of American businesses and consumers that will result if Congress does not address the fundamental flaws of the mandate.

Enacted in 2005 and dramatically revised in 2007, the RFS was pitched as a solution to rising demand for gasoline and foreign oil imports witnessed at the time. But, U.S. gasoline demand has fallen since the 2008 global economic slowdown — a sustained drop that has endured, hitting a 13-year low in June 2013. And, because of a domestic energy boom, imports have fallen to their lowest levels since 1986.

Nonetheless, the EPA has continuously refused to adjust targets, even though the U.S. is dangerously close to exceeding the amount of ethanol that can be safely blended into our gasoline supply.

By requiring 16.55 billion gallons of biofuel be blended into U.S. gasoline this year, the EPA has pushed the United States over the “blend wall” the threshold at which the RFS requires more ethanol be blended into gasoline than our nation’s engines and infrastructure can safely accommodate. This is a double edged sword that threatens American engines of all shapes and sizes, as well as our nation’s refiners who face increasingly difficult choices in their efforts to meet this unreasonable mandate.

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Higher levels of ethanol-blended gasoline like E15 are no panacea to reaching blending requirements as they can damage engines — leaving owners on the hook for costly repair bills. Despite allowing its market entry, the EPA has deemed E15 unsuitable for use in heavy-duty vehicles, vehicles built before 2001, marine engines and small engines such as lawnmowers and chainsaws.

The risks associated with gasoline blended with anything over E10 are so great that Chrysler, Ford, General Motors, Toyota, Nissan, Volkswagen, Volvo, BMW, and Kia have all said their warranties would not cover anything over E10 use in vehicles that the EPA has green-lighted, due to its corrosive nature and potential to harm engines. Moreover, AAA has warned consumers not to use E15, even in those EPA-approved vehicles.

Thus, refiners find themselves between a rock and a hard place. They must either blend unsafe amounts of ethanol into U.S. gasoline or buy costly compliance credits that could threaten to raise gas prices, put them out of business and risk thousands of jobs. These credits, representing each gallon of ethanol produced, have increased in price from just 2-3 cents at the end of 2012 to nearly $1.50 per gallon last month, as the market becomes increasingly unable to absorb more ethanol and RIN supplies plummet. This RIN frenzy drastically increases operating costs for refiners and ultimately threatens American consumers.

I’m sure most in Philadelphia remember the near-closure of several area refineries all too well. Thankfully, companies such as Monroe Energy and Philadelphia Energy Solutions were able to save the refineries from closing, along with the tens of thousands of direct and indirect jobs in the Delaware Valley that exist where refineries are operating. To put the cost of RINs in perspective, Monroe estimates that it will spend more on RINs this year than it spent to purchase the refinery.

Everywhere you look the mandate’s consequences are palpable. Thankfully, some of our leaders in Washington have taken notice and are working to stop this policy nightmare.

One such legislator is Pennsylvania’s own Sen. Pat Toomey, who has taken a leading role in efforts to repeal the RFS and prevent the ongoing harm done to our national industries, engines and consumers. As co-sponsor of the bipartisan Renewable Fuel Standard Repeal Act, Sen. Toomey’s leadership will go a long way in righting this wrong policy, and putting our nation back on the path to energy security.

It is critical we continue to speak up to our nation’s leaders about the wide-reaching and damaging effects of the RFS and demand change. It’s high time we move away from the ethanol mandates and prevent any further harm to our nation’s refiners, engines, and — most importantly — consumers.

Charles Drevna is president of the American Fuel & Petrochemical Manufacturers Association.